Paper Number
ICIS2025-2222
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
This qualitative study explores how simulation-based learning environments foster job-readiness in Information Systems (IS) students by extending Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). Drawing on grounded theory analysis of ERPsim instructors' interviews across Australian universities, the findings reveal that ERPsim participation enhances professional skills, enterprise knowledge, and workplace attitudes in ways that exceed ELT's traditional cognitive emphasis. While the four ELT stages, Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualisation, and Active Experimentation, explain iterative skill development, this study identifies a fifth stage: Practice-Ready Transformation (PRT). PRT captures the internalisation of higher-order attributes such as resilience, initiative-taking, creativity, and collaborative-agility. These findings not only validate a previously developed IS graduate job-readiness framework but also propose an extended ELT model that reframes experiential learning as a pathway to behavioural and professional identity formation. The proposed framework offers actionable insights for IS educators seeking to bridge the gap between academic preparation and real-world readiness.
Recommended Citation
Faisal, Nadia; Chadhar, Mehmood; Gorris-Hunter, Anitra; and Stranieri, Andrew, "Towards a Fifth Stage of the Experiential Learning Cycle: Extending ELT through Simulation to Foster Practice-Ready Transformation in IS Education" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 14.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/learn_curricula/learn_curricula/14
Towards a Fifth Stage of the Experiential Learning Cycle: Extending ELT through Simulation to Foster Practice-Ready Transformation in IS Education
This qualitative study explores how simulation-based learning environments foster job-readiness in Information Systems (IS) students by extending Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). Drawing on grounded theory analysis of ERPsim instructors' interviews across Australian universities, the findings reveal that ERPsim participation enhances professional skills, enterprise knowledge, and workplace attitudes in ways that exceed ELT's traditional cognitive emphasis. While the four ELT stages, Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualisation, and Active Experimentation, explain iterative skill development, this study identifies a fifth stage: Practice-Ready Transformation (PRT). PRT captures the internalisation of higher-order attributes such as resilience, initiative-taking, creativity, and collaborative-agility. These findings not only validate a previously developed IS graduate job-readiness framework but also propose an extended ELT model that reframes experiential learning as a pathway to behavioural and professional identity formation. The proposed framework offers actionable insights for IS educators seeking to bridge the gap between academic preparation and real-world readiness.
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